The friendly "dumb" bike questions thread
Discussion
HairyMaclary said:
Congratulations on the pass.
My first bike was an 18 month old Versys 650 GT purchased from a main dealer. Had book stamped for 2 annual services but obviously didn't have an mot yet so felt light. Depends on how much you are spending but I'd not have bought my 1290 SAS without any service history.
Versys was a great first bike. Excellent commuter and plenty quick enough. I'm 6ft 1 so it's height and weight wasn't a problem. I was it's only problem as after 3 very happy year once I'd tried a 1000 I wanted more power. In comparison the 650 is asthmatic when it's fully loaded for a camping weekend or 2up.
Thanks!My first bike was an 18 month old Versys 650 GT purchased from a main dealer. Had book stamped for 2 annual services but obviously didn't have an mot yet so felt light. Depends on how much you are spending but I'd not have bought my 1290 SAS without any service history.
Versys was a great first bike. Excellent commuter and plenty quick enough. I'm 6ft 1 so it's height and weight wasn't a problem. I was it's only problem as after 3 very happy year once I'd tried a 1000 I wanted more power. In comparison the 650 is asthmatic when it's fully loaded for a camping weekend or 2up.
I went and looked at both of those bikes I linked to, oddly the Tracer did actually have service history (despite the website saying it had none) but it also had a small bit of cosmetic damage that I'd not want to deal with (nothing serious at all, just a cracked headlight and from comparing to others on autotrader does seem priced appropriately)
The Versys 650 had a full service history on the kawasaki usb stick thingy & the owners handbook, all kept in the little kawasaki fabric wallet thing.
After sitting on them both I much prefered the Versys, so once I've made sure I can make a bike shaped space in the garage I'll go and buy it!
brockovrs said:
Thanks!
I went and looked at both of those bikes I linked to, oddly the Tracer did actually have service history (despite the website saying it had none) but it also had a small bit of cosmetic damage that I'd not want to deal with (nothing serious at all, just a cracked headlight and from comparing to others on autotrader does seem priced appropriately)
The Versys 650 had a full service history on the kawasaki usb stick thingy & the owners handbook, all kept in the little kawasaki fabric wallet thing.
After sitting on them both I much prefered the Versys, so once I've made sure I can make a bike shaped space in the garage I'll go and buy it!
Just a cracked headlight ! Over £300 from Yamaha, about half that second hand. I know you are not buying it but it makes you wonder why the dealer has not just replaced it with a second hand one to make the bike more presentable and easier to sell. I went and looked at both of those bikes I linked to, oddly the Tracer did actually have service history (despite the website saying it had none) but it also had a small bit of cosmetic damage that I'd not want to deal with (nothing serious at all, just a cracked headlight and from comparing to others on autotrader does seem priced appropriately)
The Versys 650 had a full service history on the kawasaki usb stick thingy & the owners handbook, all kept in the little kawasaki fabric wallet thing.
After sitting on them both I much prefered the Versys, so once I've made sure I can make a bike shaped space in the garage I'll go and buy it!
KTMsm said:
Biker 1 said:
Just reading some of the stuff above re used bikes.
How come people buy a brand new bike, keep it a couple of years, but don't keep any records of service history??
Even if you do it yourself, surely you would keep receipts, maybe a few photos of before & after? It's not rocket science, so who are these owners who take absolutely zero care?
Generally - if it doesn't make sense, it isn't trueHow come people buy a brand new bike, keep it a couple of years, but don't keep any records of service history??
Even if you do it yourself, surely you would keep receipts, maybe a few photos of before & after? It's not rocket science, so who are these owners who take absolutely zero care?
So I'd suggest bikes with no history / receipts, haven't been serviced
If you buy parts there would be emails / credit card receipts etc
I had my MT09 up for sale on the FB Owners page, no takers so I stripped it of all the extra parts then sold it to the Superbike place.
I gave them a box full of spares, plus a folder full of everything I had done since I owned it from new. The box had the Akra baffle in it as well.
Turned out that someone from the MT09 group bought the bike (with about £750 of mark up on it from my price WITH all the good stuff) and they came asking me questions about the bike as they had been given nothing due to "GDPR" - not sure how spare parts and a baffle falls under that, but there you go.. new owner was not amused..
So just because the bike is being sold without service history doesn't mean it hasn't been looked after and cherished all of it's life.
the cueball said:
Not true all the time though... the Superbike Factory don't pass on the service history etc with the bikes they sell.
I had my MT09 up for sale on the FB Owners page, no takers so I stripped it of all the extra parts then sold it to the Superbike place.
I gave them a box full of spares, plus a folder full of everything I had done since I owned it from new. The box had the Akra baffle in it as well.
Turned out that someone from the MT09 group bought the bike (with about £750 of mark up on it from my price WITH all the good stuff) and they came asking me questions about the bike as they had been given nothing due to "GDPR" - not sure how spare parts and a baffle falls under that, but there you go.. new owner was not amused..
So just because the bike is being sold without service history doesn't mean it hasn't been looked after and cherished all of it's life.
That's just gross incompetence - which doesn't surprise me with themI had my MT09 up for sale on the FB Owners page, no takers so I stripped it of all the extra parts then sold it to the Superbike place.
I gave them a box full of spares, plus a folder full of everything I had done since I owned it from new. The box had the Akra baffle in it as well.
Turned out that someone from the MT09 group bought the bike (with about £750 of mark up on it from my price WITH all the good stuff) and they came asking me questions about the bike as they had been given nothing due to "GDPR" - not sure how spare parts and a baffle falls under that, but there you go.. new owner was not amused..
So just because the bike is being sold without service history doesn't mean it hasn't been looked after and cherished all of it's life.
Most dealers just pass it on as is as that's how the owner passed it to them. There is no GDPR issue however some will put xxx stamps over owner's names and addresses
KTMsm said:
That's just gross incompetence - which doesn't surprise me with them
Most dealers just pass it on as is as that's how the owner passed it to them. There is no GDPR issue however some will put xxx stamps over owner's names and addresses
Yeah I agree.. felt sorry for the guy TBH... although I did say you should have just bought it from me.. Most dealers just pass it on as is as that's how the owner passed it to them. There is no GDPR issue however some will put xxx stamps over owner's names and addresses
The folder was full of every receipt, invoice, form.. everything I had from day 1.
Every time I wasted money on changing a bolt to titanium, the invoice was in the folder and the original bolt (cleaned of course) was in the box.
On the flip side, the guy that purchased my SP1 was over the moon with everything and couldn't believe his luck...
KTMsm said:
I do a day every few weeks with my 5a ctek trickle charger
Some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't
What do you mean by some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't? Some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't
Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
PT1984 said:
What do you mean by some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't?
Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
Some find the battery dies - obviously it's possible that could have happened anywayNot a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
Some have had fires - at least two on PH that I've seen
KTMsm said:
PT1984 said:
What do you mean by some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't?
Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
Some find the battery dies - obviously it's possible that could have happened anywayNot a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
Some have had fires - at least two on PH that I've seen
Now this could have been because batteries were going to die anyway but not leaving it on all the time works for me. Having 4 bikes and a lawnmower to rotate between works well with this approach.
PT1984 said:
What do you mean by some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't?
Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
I’ve heard a few times people finding a trickle charger has damaged their battery but there are so many variables it’s hard to say for sure that being lugged in all the time could be a problem.Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
I plug mine in once a month and it never seems to need any charge so don’t see the point in having it permanently connected.
trickywoo said:
PT1984 said:
What do you mean by some get away with leaving them on all the time - others don't?
Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
I’ve heard a few times people finding a trickle charger has damaged their battery but there are so many variables it’s hard to say for sure that being lugged in all the time could be a problem.Not a provoking question. I thought that what a trickle charger was for? I have a XS 0.8 and leave it on all the time on my Ducati Scrambler?
I plug mine in once a month and it never seems to need any charge so don’t see the point in having it permanently connected.
black-k1 said:
Isn't that the difference between a trickle charger and a battery conditioner?
The trickle charger will continue to flow charging current whether it's needed or not where the conditioner detects that the battery is charged and automatically cuts the charging current.
Good point but as most use the terms interchangeably I doubt you'll be able to discover the factsThe trickle charger will continue to flow charging current whether it's needed or not where the conditioner detects that the battery is charged and automatically cuts the charging current.
black-k1 said:
Isn't that the difference between a trickle charger and a battery conditioner? The trickle charger will continue to flow charging current whether it's needed or not where the conditioner detects that the battery is charged and automatically cuts the charging current.
If you buy a modern one there's no such thing as a trickle charger by your definition - modern electronics means they all shut off once the battery reaches a full charge (whatever voltage is defined for that, it'll vary slightly).The issue leaving them connected 24/7 is if the electronics go wrong they can over-charge and knacker the battery. I leave mine connected through a cheap electronic timer to pop on for 30 mins/day.
While the subject of chargers has come up and I've recently tried to revive what I can of a mid-life Yuasa unit, what do people recommend for a good value battery charger? I've got one from "Dr Bike" that's approximately 18,000 years old and an Aldi unit. The Aldi one looked at the battery and scoffed, even after several days attempting to coerce it into life with jump leads on a known good battery. The Dr Bike one just doesn't give a toss and will throw some volts at it for an indeterminate amount of time.
I've used an Oxford Oximiser in the past to good effect but Ctek come up quite often. I don't want to go and blow £150 on one but any recommendations for a half decent unit? MXS5.0 looks like the one for me, perhaps. How it only covers batteries at lower Ah than the MXS3.8 is baffling though.
I've used an Oxford Oximiser in the past to good effect but Ctek come up quite often. I don't want to go and blow £150 on one but any recommendations for a half decent unit? MXS5.0 looks like the one for me, perhaps. How it only covers batteries at lower Ah than the MXS3.8 is baffling though.
RazerSauber said:
While the subject of chargers has come up and I've recently tried to revive what I can of a mid-life Yuasa unit, what do people recommend for a good value battery charger? I've got one from "Dr Bike" that's approximately 18,000 years old and an Aldi unit. The Aldi one looked at the battery and scoffed, even after several days attempting to coerce it into life with jump leads on a known good battery. The Dr Bike one just doesn't give a toss and will throw some volts at it for an indeterminate amount of time.
I've used an Oxford Oximiser in the past to good effect but Ctek come up quite often. I don't want to go and blow £150 on one but any recommendations for a half decent unit? MXS5.0 looks like the one for me, perhaps. How it only covers batteries at lower Ah than the MXS3.8 is baffling though.
Been discussed before - I'm a Dealer I've had most of them and I only buy the 5.0 Ctek now, they will charge anything (that can be charged) including 900ah truck batteries and have more functions than the lessor modelsI've used an Oxford Oximiser in the past to good effect but Ctek come up quite often. I don't want to go and blow £150 on one but any recommendations for a half decent unit? MXS5.0 looks like the one for me, perhaps. How it only covers batteries at lower Ah than the MXS3.8 is baffling though.
They were on offer at Halfords (trade) for £55 but I'm told they are currently unavailable, I suspect they are launching a new model.
The Noco ones aren't as good / easy to use but some have a 6v function which may be useful to the classic owners
HybridTheory said:
Anyone have any tips for what seems like RSI? My right hand ligaments on the outside of my arm from my wrist upwards seem really sore these days, can only put it down to being my throttle hand..any tips on making it less sore !
Have you tried one of those "palm thingys" that go over the throttle?HybridTheory said:
Anyone have any tips for what seems like RSI? My right hand ligaments on the outside of my arm from my wrist upwards seem really sore these days, can only put it down to being my throttle hand..any tips on making it less sore !
It can also be handle bar and lever position. Depending on the type of bike you have it may be possible to rotate the bars forward or backwards a bit. (levers will need adjusting)Levers can also cause trouble, I am surprised at the amount of people who never consider this, I have my levers pointing down a touch so that my wrist is being bent upwards which is uncomfortable and can restrict blood flow causing cramps.
Cold doesn't help either.
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